What if you are reborn as a demon after a funeral?.

Even though she was almost home, she seemed troubled and somewhat tired.

In fact... Luo Qixi is really troubled.

In her hometown, all her people communicated through telepathy, but she lacked this ability.

That's why she once ran away from home. Although Ash persuaded her to come back and visit during Ash's temporary absence, she did so.

But the thought of being treated as an outsider by her people again made her feel increasingly anxious the closer she got to her homeland...

"I feel so heavy-hearted... I feel so nauseous..."

Luo Qixi couldn't help but sigh deeply, the strange looks from her clansmen flashing through her mind.

The earthen-yellow land remains barren and dry compared to the last time I returned.

The daytime sun was scorching hot. Feeling that she should be able to see the village soon, Loki looked up and gazed into the distance... In the air distorted by the heat, on the other side of the horizon, there was a figure that seemed to be watching her.

Are they members of the tribe? Are they patrolling the outskirts? But...aren't they a bit too tall? —The distance is too far, and Luo Qixi can't see clearly either, so she subconsciously squinted.

But in the next instant, the figure in the distance disappeared, making her wonder if she had seen it wrong.

But then she suddenly felt a chill under her skirt.

"....well?"

Loki's eyes widened in surprise, and the next moment she realized that her skirt had been lifted. She gritted her teeth in anger, swung her wand behind her, and began to chant a spell.

Because she didn't even realize who had approached her; it must have been an incredibly powerful enemy.

However... the wand that was thrown back was caught, and then came the voice that had been longed for:

"What's wrong? Why are you so excited... I thought you would really enjoy this kind of reunion?"

"Huh?" The moment Loki recognized the culprit, her panic vanished. Her eyes widened, she released her wand, and pounced on Ash, hugging his waist, but not forgetting to glare at him reproachfully:

"What are you talking about? I don't like this weird greeting gift!"

"Huh? You don't like it? It's clearly Luo Qixi?"

"...Is my name some kind of weird word?" Luo Qixi paused for a moment, then narrowed her eyes in annoyance.

Because you've always been the most lewd Master in my heart! — Feeling that teasing her any longer might really make her angry, Ash hid his true feelings, put on a smile, and gently hugged the petite girl in his arms:

"Just kidding~ More than that, it's rare to see you again, did you miss me?"

"...I don't want a disciple with bad intentions." Luo Qixi said this, but her cheeks flushed slightly.

"Really? I do miss Lokishi quite a bit~ After all, I just went through a series of arduous battles, defeating that formidable enemy..." Ash said, then involuntarily looked up at the sky, describing the story that had just come to mind:

"...Actually, I was about to lose, but when blood splattered on my face and my head was about to be smashed, it was your face that made me think of a new trick in my mind, and I was able to turn the tide and win."

Ash deliberately used an exaggerated tone to describe the thrilling battle, but he felt Loki in his arms suddenly stiffen.

The girl clutched the back of his shirt, buried her face in his chest, and said in a slightly trembling voice, "...Idiot, don't always do such dangerous things. If there's a real risk, you should run away immediately, right?"

“But even if it’s really difficult, there are battles you can’t avoid.” He gently stroked the witch’s hat that was tilted by the wind and sand, his fingertips running through the girl’s hair. “But it’s all over now, there’s nothing to worry about anymore, and besides, I’m back, aren’t I?”

“Ash…” Loki suddenly stood on tiptoe, her light blue braid brushing against his arm, her face stopping abruptly an inch from his lips.

Those sapphire-blue eyes flickered with complex emotions, a mixture of emotion and longing, as if they were about to kiss her in the next moment.

However... Ash was in a bit of a dilemma because of his touched expression.

At first, it was just a lighthearted joke to change the subject. After all, she's his wife, so there's nothing wrong with making a little joke, right?

Moreover, Luo Qixi has done quite a few strange things, and her little teasing is perfectly reasonable, isn't it?

He had originally planned to clarify things immediately, but now he felt it was difficult to admit it. He had a feeling that Luo Qixi would be angry for a while, and... it seemed like it would be more advantageous to wait for her to kiss him first before explaining?

But before he could receive the reward he longed for, a stern, angry shout came from the side:

"—Let go of Luo Qixi right now! You perverted lolicon!!"

Along with the words, a gust of sword wind swept in, striking him squarely on the head.

Ash didn't even look, he raised his hand and grabbed the blade, then flicked it back.

The man wielding the sword was thrown out in a perfect parabola before he could even release the hilt. He flew for a while before landing on the ground, rolling around in the dust for a bit, looking quite disheveled.

What? At this crucial moment, another guy has to show up and ruin my plans? Ash felt he should teach this clueless guy a lesson.

But when his gaze fell upon the uninvited guest... he looked at the blue-haired "boy" who was crawling up from the ground like a demon, and felt that he looked inexplicably familiar.

"...Who are you? Have we met somewhere before?" Ash asked blankly.

Luo Qixi, who instinctively looked over, exclaimed in surprise, "—Dad?!"

"Uh... Father-in-law?"

With that exclamation, Ash's expression froze instantly.

He suddenly remembered the time he passed through the Migrud village and the "boy" guarding the village... this guy who didn't look like his father-in-law at all, but inexplicably seemed like his love rival, had expressed his love for Lokishi in a chat, and he had taught him a lesson.

What to do? I completely forgot about this. How can I not go back to my wife's family home? — As Luo Qixi stepped forward to help her father-in-law who had fallen to the ground, Ash, remembering past grievances, was already trying to escape the scene.

But since we're already here, it doesn't seem right to just leave... after all, it's my wife's family home.

So, he was forced to bite the bullet, endure his father-in-law's murderous glare, and silently apologize before stepping into the Migrud village.

All the way, he was thinking about how to deal with this "special" father-in-law, while Luo Qixi secretly held his hand and conveyed comfort with her eyes, which calmed his mind a little.

..............................

..............................

The Migrud villages are simply enclosed by low fences.

Stepping into the village, the only word to describe the interior is desolation.

The houses are all built with the shells of giant turtle monsters as the main structure, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura... well, actually, it's just that they have a strong sense of oldness and primitiveness.

The village is not small, and you can occasionally see villagers moving between the villages.

The village was eerily quiet, as if permeated by an indescribable atmosphere of oppression.

When Ash, Loki, and Loin entered the village, the villagers stopped what they were doing and stared at them intently, but remained silent.

Loki knew in her heart that the villagers were using the special ability of the Migrud tribe—telepathy—to talk to her.

She couldn't understand the information at all, and could only hear noises like static... She couldn't respond to their statements at all.

The feeling of being isolated made her so uncomfortable that she pulled her hat brim down, trying to avoid those strange looks.

Seeing this, Ash couldn't help but reach under her hat and gently pat her head, saying tenderly, "Don't worry about it, I'm still here with you."

"...Hmph, all you do is bully my disciple, what good are you?"

Although Luo Qixi was still complaining about their first meeting, the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up, and she moved closer to him again, almost pressing her whole body against him, and unconsciously tightening her grip on his hand.

"That's really unfair. I'm so reliable!" Ash complained, feigning grievance.

“...Even if it’s reliable, you have no idea how I feel.” Loki sighed softly, but Ash shook his head very seriously and said, “No, I understand completely, I feel it completely, and it’s even more heartbreaking.”

"Liar." Luo Qixi glared at him, annoyed. "Do you take me for some kind of easy fool?"

"That's right, but if you don't believe me, you can look back."

"Hmm? What do you mean by that...?"

Luo Qixi wanted to refute, but halfway through her sentence, she couldn't help but look back.

The moment she turned around, she understood that Ash's words... were indeed true.

She saw her elderly father, Luo Yin, with an undisguised gaze that seemed to want to kill. The sharpness of his gaze and the intensity of his negative emotions startled her, and her brows furrowed instantly.

"Dad! What are you doing?"

“…Luo Qixi~!” Her daughter’s siding with outsiders made Luo Yin almost lose control of his emotions, and he was so pained that he seemed about to cry:

"—You're still young, you don't understand! Trust your dad this once! This guy is no good! He dared to hit me last time, and he dares to hit me again this time. I'll hit you next time!! I'll definitely commit domestic violence! It's not too late to turn back now!"

"...Didn't Ash say it was a misunderstanding? And he apologized to you; you weren't hurt, there's no need to be so petty and even say hurtful things, right?" Loki sighed helplessly, but was forced to patiently explain:

“I know Ash better than you do. Trust my judgment. He’s definitely a good person. You’ve known Mom for a while now, so you’ll definitely like him too.”

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Unless the sky falls down or he saves the world, I absolutely cannot accept him!" Loin was so angry that he was practically blowing his beard and glaring, his attitude extremely firm and unyielding.

But Ash, who had been silent all along, couldn't help but brighten up when he heard this:

"Hey! You know what? You really do know! I actually saved the world! Father-in-law! No! -- Dad!"

"Don't call me father-in-law! And don't call me dad!! You... bastard!" Loin was trembling with anger, pointing at Ash, but he was speechless for a moment, not knowing what word to use to describe his anger. After a long time, he could only utter "bastard."

But Ash didn't seem to care, waving his hand dismissively: "Whether I'm wild or not is another matter, but you said you'd accept me because you wanted to save the world... You're not thinking of going back on your word now, are you?"

What evidence do you have?

Does the world still exist?

"Then I'll say I saved the world!"

"Dad... isn't it wrong of you to cheat like this? Besides, he really did save the world." Luo Qixi was both annoyed and amused by what she saw. She tugged at Luo Yin's sleeve helplessly, her eyes full of speechless disbelief at her father's cheating behavior.

Ash, who had received support, immediately added, "It's true, Dad!"

"—I told you! You're not allowed to call me father-in-law!" Upon hearing this, Luo Yin's face turned bright red with anger.

"How about we solve this like men do?"

"What kind of manly way?"

"...A duel?" Ash thought for a moment, and this was the only idea that came to mind.

This delighted Luo Yin, who immediately hid behind Luo Qixi, exclaiming, "Luo Qixi! Did you see that?! This guy wants to hit Daddy again!!"

"No... I mean, I'll give you a handicap with one hand? Or two if you really can't?"

"—He even looks down on me! And he's already thinking of giving up on you!"

Loin never expected to lose, and he was both angry and furious at Ash's conditions.

She was angry that he so easily abandoned his daughter, and also furious that he looked down on her.

But Ash was speechless at her extreme attitude and could only look to Loki for help.

Knowing the disparity in strength between the two sides, Luo Qixi intervened at the opportune moment, saying helplessly, "Dad...you've misunderstood."

"What misunderstanding? Do you think that your father is too old to lift a sword, and that the opponent can defeat me without using both hands?"